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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25899562">Snog You Under the Moonlight</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/linwendlandt11/pseuds/linwendlandt11'>linwendlandt11</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alcohol, Awkward Kissing, Blushing Draco Malfoy, Denial of Feelings, Drunken Confessions, Drunken Flirting, Drunken Kissing, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Feelings, Firewhiskey (Harry Potter), First Kiss, Hogwarts Era, Hogwarts Fourth Year, Yule Ball (Harry Potter)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 12:12:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,631</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25899562</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/linwendlandt11/pseuds/linwendlandt11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After witnessing a massive row between Weasley and Granger during the Yule Ball and with a little help of some liquid courage, Draco decides to go after Granger to rub her face a little deeper into her misery. Little did he expect that his decision to go after her would lead to something completely new and utterly life changing. </p><p>Lots of awkward kissing ensue and heart-to-hearts feels.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>150</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is lifted from the movie version and not the books just so you are aware! I also lift direct dialogue from there as well (for copyright purposes), but it's just in the very beginning. I really enjoyed writing this story and I absolutely adore writing awkward Draco and him trying to figure out what the hell he is feeling and why. So buckle in folks and let's go!</p><p>As always, I thrive off kudos and comments so if you feel so inclined please leave one!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Draco took another sip of Firewhiskey from his flask as he watched Granger and Weasley fight. It was almost impossible not to watch as they screamed at each other through the Great Hall into the Main Hall and to the base of the staircase.</p>
<p>He had finally detangled himself from Pansy Parkinson and her wandering hands and escaped out into the openness of the Main Hall away from his friends and cronies to be alone, only to be assaulted not long after by Weasley and Granger’s shouting match.</p>
<p>“Well you know the solution then, don’t you?” Granger yelled. Her elaborate hairdo that she had somehow wrestled her mane of hair up into was falling out and her face was pinched with anger as she threw up her hands at Weasley.</p>
<p>“Go on then,” Weasley sneered back.</p>
<p>“Next time there’s a ball, ask me before somebody else does, and not as a last resort!”</p>
<p>“Well, that’s—that’s completely beside the point,” Weasley sputtered.</p>
<p>Draco could see the beginning of tears pricking at Granger’s eyelashes and rolled his eyes at Weasley’s stupidity, taking another sip from his flask. It was obvious she was upset and he was sure Weasley had said something more insensitive already before entering the Main Hall.</p>
<p>Granger breathed in deeply, raising her finger to reply, but before she could say anything else, Potter came walking up to the pair.</p>
<p>“Harry!” Weasley exclaimed, drawing Granger’s attention away from whatever she was going to say next to him.</p>
<p>Granger immediately whirled on Potter and yelled, “Where have you been? Never mind, go to bed the both of you!”</p>
<p>Potter looked at her completely perplexed at her harsh tone and raised a questioning eyebrow up at Weasley as he walked around Granger and joined the gangly red head on the staircase. Granger wiped away a tear after Potter had passed her, her back still turned to them so they couldn’t see.</p>
<p>“They get scary as they get older,” Weasley said loudly over his shoulder as the boys began walking up the stairs.</p>
<p>With another vicious twirl, Granger charged after them and yelled “Ron, you spoil everything!” She stopped at the foot of the staircase as they ran up it and away from her. After they turned the corner disappearing from sight, she went up a few steps and spun, dropping into a sad heap on the stone steps. She let out a quiet sob as she unlaced her shoe, throwing it aside as she rubbed her foot.</p>
<p>Draco felt a strange wave of pity for her come over him. Weasley was such an idiot. Couldn’t he see how much his words hurt her? Draco had expected to feel satisfaction and glee at the two fighting, after all, there was nothing more entertaining than the two of them falling out. But for some reason, tonight he was feeling sorry for Granger. He frowned down at the Firewhiskey in the flask he had smuggled in. Maybe he shouldn’t be drinking this stuff. It was giving him, curse it all, feelings.</p>
<p>He looked back up as Granger wiped away more tears and hugged herself tightly around the middle. Feeling eyes upon her, she looked up and around, finally alighting on him. She frowned and wiped quickly at her eyes, clearly annoyed he had caught her in a moment of weakness. Grabbing her shoe, she put it back on and charged back down the steps and out the door towards the garden.</p>
<p>As she disappeared around the doorway, he breathed in deeply and clenched his fist, strangely weirded out at how vulnerable she had looked and the slight fear in her eyes as she saw him watching her. Clearly she hadn’t liked the fact that he had seen her break down and cry. She was good, better than anyone, at putting up a front of strength and know-it-allness. But he could see right through her façade. After all, he saw it on his face every time he looked in the mirror. He knew a mask when he saw one.</p>
<p>Feeling like he should go after her for some unknown reason, he threw back another large gulp of Firewhiskey and grimaced as it hit the back of his throat. Storing the flask back in his robes, he shoved himself off the wall and staggered, a touch unsteady. Regaining his balance, he walked quickly through the doorway into the gardens following Granger. It took him a couple minutes to find her. She had hidden on a bench set deep in-between a couple of hedges. He almost walked right past and had to backtrack a few steps when he heard the crying and realized it was her.</p>
<p>He stood at the entrance and stared at her as she looked up and saw him standing there. She quickly wiped at her face and smoothed down her hair, trying to put herself to rights. Feeling awkward and confused at what the hell he was doing, he crossed his arms and cocked his hip out. “Have a nice little spat with Weasley? I swear his intellect doesn’t exactly reach to the tip of the tallest tree. He’s so stupid I’m surprised they even let him in the school at all.”</p>
<p>“It’s nothing you need concern yourself with, Malfoy,” she said, drawing herself up and crossing her arms. “Why don’t you just run on back to Pansy and have a nice little dance with her?”</p>
<p>He shuddered, the memory of Pansy grabbing his bum and reeling him in close, whispering dirty things to him under her breath as she grinded on him. He had gone to the ball with her because it made sense, but he didn’t want to shag her or actually do anything with her.</p>
<p>“I think I’ll pass on that,” he drawled, tossing his head.</p>
<p>“Why?” She asked sarcastically, a spark of viciousness in her eyes. “Have a little falling out?”</p>
<p>“No!” He shouted, uncrossing his arms and taking a step towards her. He looked aside and crossed his arms again. “No, I just don’t want to dance anymore. My feet hurt.”</p>
<p>“Aw, so sad. Malfoy’s feet hurt. Poor baby.”</p>
<p>“Shut up Granger! At least I’m not the one out here bawling her eyes out over a stupid boy!”</p>
<p>Her lip trembled and Draco was completely taken aback as Granger turned her head and burst into sobs. He didn’t have much experience with crying girls and while all he wanted to do was run in the opposite direction and drink himself stupid for ever thinking going after her was a good idea, he forced himself to stay. His mother’s words of how to treat a lady rang in his head and he took another hesitant step closer, reaching out and patting her awkwardly on the shoulder.</p>
<p>“Uh, there there. Please don’t cry. It’s no fun if you cry.”</p>
<p>She looked up at him confused, her eyes red and blotchy, and sniffed, wiping a hand across her face. She looked an absolute mess. Sighing, he reached into his robes and pulled out a handkerchief, thrusting it into her face.</p>
<p>She stared at him; surprise etched across her features and after a quiet moment, reached out and took the handkerchief from his grasp. Her fingers lightly brushed his hand and he snatched it back quickly. The touch of her fingers had left behind a strange tingling sensation. Maybe it was the Firewhiskey. She had never touched him before and he wondered if this was some mudblood contamination she almost gave him. He wiped his hand on his robe.</p>
<p>She blew her nose and dapped the corner of the cloth to her eyes. “Um, thank you,” she said softly.</p>
<p>“Uh, yeah, sure.”</p>
<p>They fell into an awkward silence as Granger dabbed at her eyes again. The last time they had been this close proximity was when she punched him last year. But this was the first time they had ever been alone together. He didn’t know what to do or how to make her stop crying.</p>
<p>“Uh, I guess I’ll just go then,” he said, finally breaking the silence and rubbing the back of his neck. He turned and started to walk away.</p>
<p>“Why did you follow me out here?” Granger asked right as he reached the entrance.</p>
<p>He stopped dead in his tracks. Why had he followed her out here? Was it because of the alcohol? Did he come to make fun of her and rub her despair in her face? Or was it because he felt sorry for her and wanted to see if she was ok?</p>
<p>He rubbed the back of his head again. “Uh, I’m not actually sure,” he said quietly over his shoulder, not looking back at her.</p>
<p>“Oh.”</p>
<p>He whirled on her, pointing a finger and getting back in her personal space, standing over her. “But don’t get any grand ideas! I came out here to make fun of you, and that’s that.” He crossed his arms and nodded definitively. Right, that was it. He hated her, and he wanted to rub it in her face. It wasn’t because she was crying and he had never seen her cry before and it weirded him out and made him strangely angry and protective. No, no. It was because he hated her. Nothing else.</p>
<p>She cocked her head at him. “Then why did you give me your handkerchief?”</p>
<p>He looked down at the offending article of cloth as she rubbed it subconsciously between her fingers. Draco stared at her fingers as she worked the cloth between them, his hand tingling again from earlier where she had touched him.</p>
<p>“I…I actually don’t know,” he finally confessed, keeping his eyes down not looking at her.</p>
<p>They fell back into another awkward silence broken only by the occasional sniff from Granger. He sighed and fished his flask of Firewhiskey from his robes. Holding it out to her, he shook it in her face, the liquid sloshing inside. “Want a sip? It’s Firewhiskey.”</p>
<p>She looked up at him, an unreadable expression on her face. Slowly, she reached out and took the flask from him. Her fingers once again brushed against his and he had to stifle the urge to wipe his hand on his robe again. Keeping her eyes on him, she unscrewed the top and took a big swig.</p>
<p>Coughing, she held up a hand to her watering eyes and smacked her chest with the other as it went down. She stared at the flask before shrugging and taking another sip. “Thanks,” she muttered as she gave it back to him.</p>
<p>He took another swig for himself and stifled the urge to cough like she had. He handed it back to her and she took another sip. Scooting over, she patted the side of the bench beside her, gesturing for him to sit down. Draco looked at her in surprise and suspicion.</p>
<p>“I don’t bite, idiot. Sit down and share a drink with me.”</p>
<p>He hesitated for a second before gingerly settling himself on the edge of the bench as far from her as he could. His skin burned from her closeness and he felt all hot and flustered all of a sudden. They sat there again in silence, this time a little less strained and awkward and shared the flask between them.</p>
<p>She leaned back and stared up at the stars, occasionally tilting the flask up to her lips. He had never seen her like this before. He didn’t even know she liked alcohol besides the occasional butterbeer. But that had such a low alcohol content it was like it wasn’t even there and didn’t really count.</p>
<p>It felt strange to be sitting here in a hidden away bench with Hermione Granger of all people. She looked completely different than normal all dressed up for the ball. He didn’t even know she could look like that. Even though her hair had fallen out even more and the poofiness of her curls were threatening to escape their containment, and the makeup was slightly streaked down her face, he thought she looked beautiful.</p>
<p>He blushed at the trajectory of his thoughts and turned away. She glanced over at him before turning and looking back up at the sky. Leaning back, he rested his head on the back of the bench and stared up at the stars with her.</p>
<p>“You ever wonder what your life would be like if you weren’t a wizard?” She asked randomly, finally breaking the silence a few minutes later.</p>
<p>He bristled at the implication of her question, half-raising to proclaim his inherent superiority as a pureblood before the words dried up in his mouth at the expression on her face. It was half-longing, half-morose as she stared up at the night sky. Draco settled back down and contemplated her question.</p>
<p>“I’ve never thought about it. It’s never exactly been an option for me. I was born into this life and it’s all I’ve ever known. I couldn’t imagine not having magic. It’s like breathing. I couldn’t exist without it. It would be like losing a limb or an important organ. The idea of being a Squib is the absolute worst fate my family or I could ever foresee.”</p>
<p>She tilted her head sideways to look at him before turning to look back up and take another sip from the flask and hiccupped. “That makes sense. For you, it’s all you ever known. But for me…” She paused and breathed deeply, running a hand subconsciously through her falling curls. “For me, it’s like this giant bombshell that got dropped onto my lap and suddenly I could do things and was different and unusual and special. For the first time in my life, I was capable of things beyond even my most wild imagining.” She closed her eyes, taking another deep breath. “And it absolutely terrified me.”</p>
<p>He looked over at her; surprised at the vulnerability in her voice and that she was choosing to share something so personal with him.</p>
<p>“Why was it so terrifying?” He asked softly, wanting to know more. He wanted to understand what made her tick, why she made him feel all weird inside when he was around her. “Magic is the greatest thing in the world. Like you said, you can do anything.”</p>
<p>She hummed and handed the flask back to him. She stared upwards, the alcohol in the flask starting to take effect with her eyes growing glassy and wide. Her inhibitions and guard were definitively down as she continued to speak. “That may be true, but it wasn’t something I grew up knowing. It was totally out of left field and completely unknown. After my letter came and Dumbledore came to my house and explained everything, I dove into every book I could find, trying to learn as much as I could and as fast as possible. I wanted to be prepared for school, wanted to come in wand blazing and impress everyone with my know-how.”</p>
<p>She let out a decrepitating laugh. “That kind of backfired on me a bit. It always does. Everyone hated me, thought I was a know-it-all and a bitch. And I got it. It had been like that in my muggle school too. No one wanted to be my friend. But then Halloween happened and Harry and Ron saved my life from the troll.”</p>
<p>“They saved your life?” He asked in surprise, setting down the flask in-between them, his head slightly swimming. That was news, he didn’t know that.</p>
<p>She chuckled. “Yeah, the knuckleheads felt sorry for making me cry and risked their lives to come get me and in the process ended up saving my life. From that moment on, we were best friends.” She gazed up at the stars as if they were the most beautiful things in the world. “It was great,” she whispered. “For the first time in my life I had friends, actual friends, who liked me and wanted to hang out with me. Sure they took advantage of my schoolwork and studying, but I didn’t mind. They needed all the help they could get. And it made me feel important, needed.”</p>
<p>“Huh. Doesn’t surprise me that those two idiots would need help.”</p>
<p>She turned and frowned at him. “They’re not all that bad you know. If you actually got to know them, maybe you would think differently.”</p>
<p>He scoffed. “Like that would ever happen. Me, friends with a blood traitor and a half-blood who thinks he’s so great and perfect? No way. I’ll pass, thank you very much.”</p>
<p>“And what about me?” She shot back, the color rising in her cheeks. “You don’t know a damn thing about me and all you’ve done since I’ve come here is make fun of me, call me derogatory names, and make my life hell. What did I ever do to you?”</p>
<p>He looked at her accusing gaze and then glanced away, suddenly feeling very hot under the collar. Her words pierced her more deeply than he cared to admit. Why was he so cruel to her? If he was being honest with himself, he didn’t really know why he hated her so much. Why he called her horrible names and bullied her. It was just what he had been taught his entire life.</p>
<p>He sighed and rubbed a hand over his eyes. He was going to regret saying anything, but the alcohol had loosed his tongue and he found himself wanting to explain his actions. “It’s—it’s not necessarily you yourself I have an issue with—more—more an issue with how you got your magic and your family.”</p>
<p>“Why? Because they’re muggles? Because they don’t have magic? My parents are wonderful people and not having magic doesn’t make them lesser than or worthless. At least they’re not cruel, or mean, or manipulative. At least they have friends and a family they actually want to come home to!”</p>
<p>He stood up and whirled on her. “You don’t know a damn thing about my life or my family! You don’t know anything about me! So just shut up!”</p>
<p>They both breathed heavily, staring each other down with fire in their eyes. Draco was the one to break it off this time. With a groan, he flopped back down and threw an arm over his eyes. He felt her settle back down beside him cautiously.</p>
<p>They sat a few more minutes in silence. Draco breathed in and out, trying to regain a hold on his temper. Something about Granger just riled him up and made him feel all these weird and uncomfortable things. Made him think about things he had never thought about before.</p>
<p>He finally broke the silence. “My parents—my family—they have followed a directive and a mantra for eons. They truly believe that magic should only pass through a pure line. Anything else…is an aberration, an unholy thing to be stamped out and eradicated. My father says mudbloods are absolute scum, that they aren’t even worth our spit or the place beneath our shoes. He has such a strong hate in his heart. And sometimes…sometimes I do wonder…wonder if maybe he’s wrong. But of course I can’t say anything. Who knows how he would react? What he would say?” He paused and breathed in deeply. “He’d probably hit me and throw me out, burning out my picture forever on the family tree.”</p>
<p>She didn’t respond and he lifted his arm to glance over at her. He had never said anything like that before to anyone, and he was actually worried about what she would say next. How she would cut him down at revealing a weakness.</p>
<p>“It sounds like a bit of a rough home life.” She finally replied, looking over at him and wetting her lips. His eyes were drawn instinctively to the movement, but he forced his eyes back up to her eye line.</p>
<p>She leaned back, crossing her legs and twisting her hands in her lap. Her fingers rubbed over the cloth of the handkerchief he had given her earlier as she stared down at it. “My parents are wonderful and kind and gentle, and I love them dearly. She sighed and rubbed a hand over her eyes. “But they’re also overprotective, overbearing and can be really strict about schooling. Sometimes I feel like I can’t breathe around them and if I fail, god, if I fail, that’s it for me. No second chance, no redo, nothing. They ask for perfection and don’t understand the cost.”</p>
<p>He leaned back and crossed his arms. “I can relate to that. God forbid I screw up on a test or fail an assignment. My dad would have my hide.”</p>
<p>She nodded in understanding, twisting the cloth between her fingers again. “Want to know my absolute worst fear?” She asked hesitantly, like he was going to shoot her down or insult her again.</p>
<p>Draco rolled his head over to her, actually curious what could ruffle the unflappable Hermione Granger. “What is it?”</p>
<p>She sucked in a breath and let it out in a big whoosh. “Being expelled.”</p>
<p>He stared. “Why?”</p>
<p>“Well, when you’re expelled, they break your wand. You’re not allowed to do magic anymore. For me, that would be a fate worse than death. Like you said earlier, magic is like breathing. I don’t think I could ever live without it now that I’ve had a taste of it. Sure,” she shrugged, “my life would probably be a lot easier without magic, and I wouldn’t have to fight some evil threat every year, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I love being able to do magic. It’s everything to me. It’s why I have to do well in school, why I have to succeed. Anything less than perfection is worthless.”</p>
<p>He wasn’t sure what to say. Here she was pouring out her heart to him after he had just insulted her not five minutes ago, and he didn’t know what to do about it. “Sounds like a lot.” He finally replied lamely.</p>
<p>She looked over at him and smiled sadly. “Yeah, sometimes it is.” She looked back up and said slowly, “Ron and Harry don’t understand. How could they? Ron is like you. He’s known magic his entire life. He has a family and if he gets expelled, it’s ok, he’s still in the magical world. And Harry is Harry. They can’t expel him no matter what he does. They need him and his image, his status.” She sighed. “He can be so naïve sometimes. He doesn’t see the threads of manipulation constantly tightening around him. I worry about him. He’s suffered so much and been alone for so long. But…he’s the Boy Who Lived. They would never let him leave this world. But me?” She laughed darkly. “I’m nothing like them. I don’t have a magical family or immunity. For me, if I get expelled. That’s it. Game over. For me, I have everything to lose.”</p>
<p>He stared at her as she looked up at the sky, a tear glistening in the corner of her eye. “That sounds lonely,” he said softly. He didn’t know if it was the Firewhiskey or the ambiance that made this seem more like a dream than reality, or if she had given him some contagious disease, but he found himself saying, “and trust me. If anyone understands loneliness, it’s me.”</p>
<p>She rolled her head over to him, quirking an eyebrow inquisitively. “What does that mean?”</p>
<p>He hunched his shoulders not replying, cursing himself for saying anything at all. She smacked his arm. “Come on Malfoy, I just poured out my heart to you. The least you can do is the same in return. I promise anything you say here doesn’t leave.”</p>
<p>He squinted at her, trying to assess if she was lying.</p>
<p>“Think of it as mutual assured destruction. I gave you ammunition, and you’ve already started giving me plenty. So what’s a little more? Besides,” she waved a hand at him, “you really think I’m gonna tell anyone I played buddy buddy with you drinking alcohol and talking about our feelings? No one would believe me anyway.”</p>
<p>He laughed loudly before clapping a hand over his mouth, shocked at the noise that left him. She stared at him in surprise.</p>
<p>“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you laugh like that before.”</p>
<p>He blushed. “Well, don’t get used to it.”</p>
<p>She smiled and lightly punched his arm. “I kind of like it. You looked lighter, happier. Makes you seem more human.”</p>
<p>He hummed as he settled back down into a more comfortable position. She joined him, inching a little bit closer, narrowing the distance between them. He found he didn’t mind it. It didn’t feel like anything other than just human comfort. It was nice.</p>
<p>“So what did you mean by understanding loneliness? I thought you were king of the Slytherins. You basically rule that house.”</p>
<p>He snorted. “Ruling doesn’t really allow for friends. Everyone…everyone just listens to me because of who my father is. Crabbe and Goyle are just my lackeys. They’re not really friends. And there’s no one else I would talk to. Not in this way. It’s too much of a weakness.”</p>
<p>She nodded, staring up. “That does sound lonely. No wonder you push everyone away. If you let them too close that’s it. The game is up. No more power.”</p>
<p>He stared upwards, his arms crossed, tapping his fingers against his bicep. “It’s not just me not having any real friends. It’s my family too. You have no idea the expectations placed upon me. The requests and standards placed upon me. To fail in that regard…well…like you said. It’s worse than death. I have to be perfect and act the arrogant prince all the time. Otherwise,” he shook his head. “I just don’t have any choice in the matter. It’s them or nothing.”</p>
<p>“Guess that makes us a strange sort of bedfellows doesn’t it?”</p>
<p>He sputtered. “Bedfellows? Granger, I wouldn’t get in bed with you even if I was paid a million Galleons!”</p>
<p>She shot upright. “It’s an expression you moron!” She crossed her arms and huffed, blowing a piece of hair out of her face. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”</p>
<p>“Oh yeah?” He said slyly, feeling his mood rising back up again and wanting to tease her. “The blush on your face says otherwise.”</p>
<p>She turned on him, the color rising in her cheeks. “Shut up! I am not blushing.”</p>
<p>He leaned in close, pretending to stare intently at her cheeks. “Uh-huh. Cause I can see them clearly and they are very red.”</p>
<p>She shoved him and he laughed catching her hands in his. They both instantly stilled and looked down in unison at their joined hands. Dropping her hands quickly, Draco leaned back and ran a hand nervously through his hair. Granger rubbed her bare arms and looked aside.</p>
<p>“I was, um, kidding about you blushing. I know you didn’t mean anything by it.”</p>
<p>She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, and he felt the strange urge to reach out and run her hair through his fingers to see what the texture would feel like. He aborted the movement halfway, but since his hand was half-raised, he compensated by hastily draping his arm across the back of the bench. He cursed at himself as the move put his hand even closer to the danger zone and lightly brushed against her bare arm.</p>
<p>They both stared at each other, their breaths coming in quick little pants, redness rising in both their cheeks. Draco was mortified. He had flirted with Granger of all people! He had his arm almost around her. What the hell was he doing? With his other arm, he reached down and grabbed the abandoned flask, downing another go. This time he coughed as it hit the back of his throat and his eyes watered as it went down.</p>
<p>Leaning forward, he started coughing and he felt Granger’s hand come to rest worriedly against the small of his back and pat him. Finally getting himself under control, he leaned back into her touch and looked over at her. She had moved even closer to him and they were nearly nose-to-nose. He could see the little freckles dusting her cheeks and noticed the warm brown of her eyes. Without thinking, he leaned forward and placed a quick chaste kiss upon her lips.</p>
<p>She sprung backwards as if burned. Draco cursed himself and wondered what the hell he was doing. Did he just kiss Hermione Granger? He hated her! She was a mudblood! She was the best friend of his archnemesis. He looked down at the flask clutched tightly in his hand.</p>
<p>“Sorry,” he muttered. “Guess I’ve had a little too much to drink. I’ll just go now.” He started to get up only to be stopped by her light touch on his arm. He stared down at her hand and then up at her.</p>
<p>“Wait,” she said. She worried her lip between her teeth and scratched the top of her head before tightening her hold on his arm and pulling him back down. “Stay.”</p>
<p>He sat back down with a thump and stared at her. Her hand rested heavily on his arm. “What—“ He started to say before her lips crashed forward into his, almost throwing him backwards.</p>
<p>He instinctively caught her and they fell backwards, his back slamming into the back of the bench. Her lips felt soft and supple against his own and he closed his eyes. It felt strange to have another person’s lips pressed against his and moving, and it was really weird. He had never actually been kissed before. Except of course by his mother, but that didn’t count.</p>
<p>The kiss was a little sloppy and wet and they only snogged for a second before Granger pulled back. He instinctively chased her, wanting to taste her for longer, wanting to break past that boundary of weirdness. They stared at each other, both breathing heavy and confusion swimming in their eyes. What the hell were they doing?</p>
<p>Draco’s eyes flicked back down to her lips and he licked his subconsciously. He saw her eyes flick down at the movement and he leaned forward, kissing her this time. He was actually surprised she even let him. Even though she had technically just snogged him. It was still weird and awkward, clearly neither of them having done this before, but he found that he quite enjoyed the feel of her lips against his own. She smelled heavenly, her perfume twining around him. Lifting a hand, he curled it around the base of her neck, pulling her closer.</p>
<p>She moaned lightly and then froze, pulling away from him again. She looked at him with wide eyes as he rubbed the back of her neck soothingly with the pads of his fingers. He found himself quite liking the sound she had just made and pulled her back in to try and get her to make it again. Her hands tangled in the front of his robes and she held him close. Their lips slotted together perfectly this time and they soon found a rhythm of movement, sliding to the right and left.</p>
<p>Her lips tasted divine. He had never known such sweetness could exist. All the candies and the pastries and desserts of the world paled in comparison to the nectar pouring from her mouth. He could easily find himself getting addicted to this. With his other hand, he reached over and finally gathered some of her hair in his fingers, marveling at the texture and feel of it. It was soft and smooth, clearly having been slicked down by some type of gel. He wondered what her real hair would feel like between his fingers and he felt almost giddy at the idea of tangling his hands in her bushy hair.</p>
<p>Granger seemed to like whatever he was doing and kissed him back more and more fervently. He didn’t know if she was just using him to get over Weasley or Krum or whatever, but he didn’t care. All he wanted was more of her. She reached up and started threading her fingers through his hair. He found he quite liked the sensation of her fingers scratching against his scalp. It was calming and weirdly soothing in a way.</p>
<p>They snogged deeply for another minute before breaking apart with a gasp of air. Both of them stared at each other in shock before breaking out into quiet giggles and then full out laughter. Draco wasn’t sure why they were laughing, but he liked the way she leaned against him and used him as support to keep her upright.</p>
<p>Wiping a tear away, she giggled once more. “Well,” she said, “that was unexpected.”</p>
<p>He put his arm securely around her and pulled her close, enjoying the curve of her body and the way she easily slotted in next to him. “Not too bad I hope?”</p>
<p>She put her head on his chest and clutched his robes in her hand. “No, it wasn’t bad at all. In fact, it was actually quite nice.”</p>
<p>He bopped the top of her head lightly with the palm of his hand. “Just nice?”</p>
<p>He felt her exhale of air and the rumble of laughter deep in her chest. “Yes Malfoy, just nice.”</p>
<p>He humphed. “I thought it was more than nice.”</p>
<p>She half-rose from his chest, looking him in the eye. “You did?”</p>
<p>He rolled his eyes and put his hand on the back of her head, gently pushing her back down onto his chest. “Yes, you idiot. Surprise Granger, who’d have ever thought that I would enjoy snogging you of all people?”</p>
<p>She broke his hold and leaned back crossing her arms. “What’s that supposed to mean? Me of all people?”</p>
<p>He rolled his eyes again. “Come on Granger. You can’t tell me you weren’t thinking the same thing. We’re not exactly friends.”</p>
<p>She pouted. “True.” A mischievous gleam grew in her eye. “But I guess I wouldn’t mind doing it again.”</p>
<p>He laughed and raised an eyebrow at her. “Oh really?”</p>
<p>“Yes really.” She grabbed his shoulder and used it as leverage to hoist herself over him, straddling his lap. He was so shocked by her action, that he just rested his hands on her hips and stared at her.</p>
<p>“Is this ok?” she whispered.</p>
<p>He smiled and pulled her in close, enjoying the way her body felt against his. “Hell yeah.”</p>
<p>She smiled and kissed him again. He smiled giddily and returned her kiss with fervor. In this moment, everything felt right in the world. Here in this little hidden alcove, away from the expectations and reality of their world and their relationship, they could just be together. In here, they were magical.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The next day after Draco and Hermione's snogfest. Both are trying to forget it ever happened, but of course things are never as easy as we want them to be.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After their slightly drunk make out session preceded by talk of feelings, they had both finally stumbled out of the alcove late into the night. He had walked her to the Main Hall and squeezed her hand lightly before letting it go, watching her walk up the staircase. She had looked back at him with a secret smile grazing her lips, and Merlin’s beard he wanted to rush up the stairs and snog her senseless again. He controlled himself though, knowing they were in a public space where anybody could see them.</p>
<p>He stumbled back to his common room and collapsed into bed fully clothed. As he lay there in the dark, the events of the evening finally caught up with him. Bloody hell, he had snogged Hermione Granger! And he had liked it! A lot. And she had snogged him back. Why? They hated each other; she had punched him in the face before. Why had he felt like he could be so open with her and be himself for once?</p>
<p>And she of all people had been his first kiss! He didn’t consider himself to be a prude, he knew exactly how shagging worked and he wasn’t exactly innocent in that regard mentally and in his alone time. Physically though…that was the first time he had actually done anything close to something with a girl. It was completely different than what he thought it would be like, mostly that it was infinitely better than anything he had fantasized about. He grinned at the memory of the little moans he wrestled from Hermione’s mouth as he ran his fingers through her hair.</p>
<p>He immediately stilled. He had just called her Hermione instead of Granger. He shook his head quickly, trying to shove down his feelings. It was just hormones, he assured himself. He didn’t actually like Granger herself. He cursed and rested a hand against his forehead, his head swimming and his body all tingly. He was never drinking again, he swore to himself. Not when it made him like this. Not when it gave him all these weird feelings.</p>
<p>With a decisive nod, he decided (for the sake of his sanity) that it was the alcohol and teenage hormones to blame and it was never going to happen again. They would both just go back to insulting each other and hating each other from afar. And that would be that. This would just go down as an unspoken awkward moment for the each of them. With that, he rolled over and closed his eyes.</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>Draco slept terribly that night and had woken up irritable and grumpy, his head feeling like it was stuffed full of cotton. His eyelids drooped and he was more mean and vicious than usual, lashing out at anyone in the nearby vicinity. He decided to skip breakfast and just had a couple cups of coffee instead, trying to clear his head.</p>
<p>The rest of the break passed by quickly, with neither of them seeing each other, but Draco still slept terribly every night and was even more irritable than normal. When second term started, he was thankful that none of his morning classes were shared with Gryffindor and he was able to successfully avoid potential interaction with Granger. As the bell rang and class was dismissed for lunch, he felt his stomach drop and his insides clench. Feeling a touch unsteady, he held the wall for a second, putting himself back to rights. What was his problem? It was all going to be fine. They didn’t even sit at the same table. He probably wasn’t even going to see her.</p>
<p>Pulling back up his mask of control, he straightened and sauntered to the Great Hall. Plopping himself down in his usual seat, he pulled the nearest tray of sandwiches close to him, filling up his plate. He had just started eating when he glanced up and saw Granger enter the Great Hall flanked by Weasley and Potter. His food turned to ashes in his mouth as she glanced over and caught his eye, freezing in place. She was looking more disheveled than usual and he could see the bags under her eyes. Clearly she hadn’t been sleeping well this past week either.</p>
<p>Both of them began to grow beet red and he quickly looked down at his plate and began to shovel in food as fast as he could. The tips of his ears burned and he sneaked a look up at her. She had moved, sitting down resolutely at the Gryffindor and placing her back to him, although he saw her occasionally glance back at him over her shoulder. Weasley sat across from her and it was clear they were still frosty with each other from their row. He felt a small flash of glee. Weasley wasn’t worth her time or attention. She should just dump him. He froze at the trajectory of his thoughts and shook his head. Nope, he was not going down that path. Granger could go back to Weasley for all he cared. The two gits deserved each other. Even though that’s what he kept telling himself, he still continued to watch her eat. Potter was clearly trying to play referee, gesturing at the both of them. Granger mostly ignored the two boys and tucked into her meal, her back hunched and her elbows drawn in tight to her body.</p>
<p>Draco finally finished his lunch, pushing back his empty plate and gathering his things. He stormed out of the Great Hall without a second glance back at her and left his cronies behind. Striding through the corridors towards his next class, he tried to sort through his feelings and emotions. Why was he so bothered at the sight of her eating with that blood traitor, Weasley? All they had shared was a drunken snog (his first glorious snog his traitorous mind reminded him) and some feelings. Sure he knew things about her that her own friends didn’t, but that shouldn’t make him feel as gleeful as it did. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.</p>
<p>Dipping into a lavatory close to the Charms classroom, he did his business quick and stood before the mirror splashing some water on his face. He was fine. Everything was fine. His next class was shared with her, but he would resolve to completely ignore her. Feeling a bit stronger, he put himself back to rights and entered the classroom with his head held high. He kept his nose in the air as she and the rest of the class filed in, refusing to look over at her. He could feel her casting inquisitive glances over at him from time to time during the class, and he was sad to say he did not listen to a word of the Flitwick’s lecture. Once the class was over, he blew out of the room as quickly as possible, once again refusing to look at her.</p>
<p>The next few weeks flew by with Draco resolving to ignore Granger as much as possible. Unfortunately, this meant he had to avoid Weasley and Potter too since she was always with them, which cut down significantly on his usual taunts and antics towards them. Even Crabbe and Goyle noticed something was off with him, and they were as dense as a box of rocks. He threw them off saying he was just focused on his schoolwork right now. But he found his grades starting to slip too. He would be studying or working on an assignment and a sense memory of their snog would come over him and he would find himself reliving the moment over and over again. It was starting to drive him mad.</p>
<p>Another week of torture went by of both of them ignoring each other before he couldn’t take it anymore. He had to talk to her about it. Maybe if they voiced everything out loud, then he could finally move on and they could go back to their old antagonistic relationship. Feeling decisive, he bounced on his toes throughout the whole of Charms class and snuck the occasional glance over to her. She was intently focused on what Flitwick was saying and he found himself propping his head in his hand and studying her.</p>
<p>She had a furrow in her brow as she listened intently and would occasionally nibble on the edge of the quill as she took a small break from her breakneck pace of writing. Her hand flew across the parchment, the words somehow still neat and precise despite the speed of her quill. Her bushy hair floated around her like a cloud and she looked a little wild as it framed her face. She worried her lip in-between her teeth as she puzzled over a particularly hard question Flitwick asked before shooting her hand in the air. Of course she answered it decisively and with a know-it-all air that used to irk him to no end. Now he just found it slightly endearing.</p>
<p>She nodded in satisfaction at her correct answer before looking over his way. He started as her eyes caught his and found him staring. His breath hitched as their eyes met and she frowned. Flushing, he scrambled his parchment together, keeping his head down as he began scribbling nonsense acting like he was taking notes. He could feel her questioning eyes on the back of his neck and it was killing him. The rest of the class passed torturously slow, but finally the bell rang for their mid-afternoon break.</p>
<p>He slowly gathered his stuff and watched out of the corner of her eye as she placed a hand gently on Potter’s arm and told him something he couldn’t hear over the noise of the classroom. He nodded and gestured to Weasley, the two of them leaving the classroom without her. She inhaled and marched up to Flitwick, asking him a question. He watched her animated features as she discussed whatever point she wanted to make with him before realizing there were only a couple people including him left loitering in the classroom.</p>
<p>Draco quickly exited and leaned against the wall a few doors down outside an empty classroom, settling in to wait for Granger. A few minutes later after the corridor had cleared, she flew out of the classroom, walking with a purposeful step down the corridor to her next destination. She was so focused that she didn’t even noticed him standing right there.</p>
<p>He sighed and reached out, snagging her arm just as she passed him, yanking her with a loud yelp into the empty classroom and slamming the door shut behind him. He quickly cast an aversion and silencing charm before turning and facing her. She stood there, arms crossed, nervously tapping her foot as she faced him. His mouth suddenly grew dry. What the hell was he doing? What should he say?</p>
<p>He ran a nervous hand through his hair as he realized they were alone again for the first time since that night. Granger studied him and worried her lip between her teeth. His eyes were drawn to the movement and he flushed.</p>
<p>She blushed too, but regained herself quickly. “What do you want, Malfoy?” She snapped, her voice slightly quivering with nerves.</p>
<p>He looked up at her and stared, all his planning for what he was going to say immediately leaving his brain. “Uh, well...”</p>
<p>“If you’ve dragged me in here to make fun of me or tell me to sod off, then go ahead and do it, cause I’ve got better things to do than stand here with you.”</p>
<p>“No, that’s not what I—it’s just I—well, I wanted to talk about what happened between us at the Yule Ball.” He finally stammered out.</p>
<p>She raised an eyebrow at him, and hugged her middle closer, hunching in on herself. “What’s there to talk about? I was sad and lonely, you were drunk, we said a lot of things we shouldn’t have and it was obviously a mistake.”</p>
<p>“A mistake?” He sputtered, drawing himself upwards. His original intention had been to squash this—whatever they were—right here and now, but with her words he found himself growing defensive. “I wouldn’t exactly call it a mistake.”</p>
<p>“Oh really? You’re telling me that snogging me was intentional?”</p>
<p>He crossed his arms and huffed, looking aside. “The first kiss maybe not…” He snapped his head up, glaring at her, “but you snogging me was definitively intentional! You started it!”</p>
<p>She sputtered. “I didn’t start shit! You were the one who followed me out there and started talking to me and then snogged me. I was perfectly content to sit and be miserable by myself.”</p>
<p>“Oh, of course. I’m so sorry,” he snarked, throwing his hands up. “I should have just let you be miserable and alone after your git friend insulted you and ruined your night.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, that’s exactly right!” She said, jutting out her chin at him.</p>
<p>He smirked and re-crossed his arms, changing tactics, enjoying the way he had gotten her all flustered and defensive. “Then why did you tell me to stay?”</p>
<p>She froze, a blush creeping up the side of her face. Lightly coughing, she glanced aside and rubbed her arm. “That’s—that’s completely irrelevant.”</p>
<p>He smiled in victory and sidled closer to her. “Oh yeah? Cause I was prepared to go and leave you, as you called it, alone in complete misery, and you were the one who asked me to stay.”</p>
<p>Her head flew up and she straightened. “Maybe so, but you were the one who offered me a drink and got me drunk!” She nodded decisively. “Right, it was your fault we both got drunk and snogged.”</p>
<p>He threw his head back. “I was just trying to be nice! You were the one that accepted it, and you were the one that started to talk about, damn it all, feelings,” he hissed, turning his head and running a hand through his hair again.</p>
<p>“Well I didn’t realize you had such depth to you. Who’d have thought you’d actually respond and listen to me and offer something of yourself in return? I sure didn’t!”</p>
<p>They both stared at each other, breathing deeply. They were almost nose-to-nose now, and their breath was intermingling in the small space between them. Draco cleared his throat, trying to dispel the sexual tension heating up the room.</p>
<p>“Regardless, I just pulled you in here to tell you it’s not going to happen again. Ever,” he swore, looking away from her.</p>
<p>“Great,” she said, looking aside too. “Fine by me.”</p>
<p>They stood there for another awkward moment. Draco was annoyed with himself. He had come in with grand plans to tell her off and cut her down a size, but here he was with that plan completely out the window, once again thrown off by her ability to keep up with him and throw him for a loop.</p>
<p>“Guess I’ll just get going then,” he finally muttered and turned around. He was almost to the door when he caught a whiff of her perfume and stopped dead. It was the same perfume as the night of the ball. He breathed in deeply, the smell of her overcoming his poor confused brain. Whirling, he dropped his bag to the ground with a thud and charged at her. She looked at him completely flabbergasted as he grabbed her face in his hands and shoved his mouth onto hers.</p>
<p>She reared back instinctively, before stilling and sighing into his mouth, returning his advances. He moaned at the sensation of her lips once again pressed against his and hoisted her up on a desk, her bag falling forgotten to the floor as his hands roamed over her body as he snogged her deeply. God, he had missed those lips of her. They had both been slightly drunk during their first make out session, but this time they were sober and clear headed and it was a thousand times better.</p>
<p>Her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer flush against her. Draco reached up and tangled his hands in her hair, his fingers catching slightly in her curls and he fisted the strands of hair in his hands. Her natural hair was better than he could have ever thought. This was who she was. This wild untamed beauty that hid behind her books and her intelligence like a shield. But in this moment she was bare and open, both of their masks displaced on the floor. Here they could just be.</p>
<p>They snogged desperately for several moments before they broke apart, gasping for air. Granger’s eyes were wide and her pupils blown. Her lips were red and starting to swell slightly from his ministrations. Something snapped in him at the sight. Here he was, Draco Malfoy, a pureblood Slytherin, causing mudblood Gryffindor Granger to completely fall apart in his hands. He loved it.</p>
<p>With a savage smile, he swooped back in, capturing her lips once again. Her mouth opened slightly, inviting him in even closer and he wrapped his arms tightly around her middle, crushing her body against him. Merlin’s beard she was lovely. His hands snaked into her robes and pushed them off her shoulders, causing them to fall in a heap around her waist. He pulled back, gazing at her now bare neck and suddenly wanted to see what that smooth skin tasted like.</p>
<p>Granger clutched the back of his head as he leaned down and kissed the side of her neck. It was amazing. He sucked deeply on her neck and she mewled above him, tightening her legs around his waist. He grinned into her neck at her response and kissed her neck again.</p>
<p>Panting heavily, she pulled him back up from his attentions to her neck to her lips, dragging him in for another hot and heavy kiss. This time, he opened his mouth and she flicked a quick swipe of tongue inside his mouth. They both immediately pulled apart and stared at each other, Granger raising a hand in surprise to her lips. It had been quick and her tongue had felt weird inside his mouth, but he strangely wanted her to do it again.</p>
<p>“Do that again,” he panted at her. She stared at him, before smiling mischievously and pulling him back to her. Draco opened his mouth again in invitation and she answered promptly. She swiped her tongue inside and licked the roof of his mouth. Clamping down on the invading muscle, he sucked it deeper into his mouth and she moaned loudly before following its descent. He wanted to taste her too, and pushed her tongue back with his own. She resisted at first, and it was super weird battling tongues with her, but she soon realized what he wanted and relented.</p>
<p>He moved his tongue around in her mouth and found he quite liked the taste of her. This was something he could definitively get used too. They snogged a few minutes longer, finally finding a rhythm with their mouths and tongues and with every second they got better at it and understood each other’s rhythm more intimately.</p>
<p>She finally broke off with a gasp and sucked in air greedily. He leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers and just breathed in their shared air. She wrapped her arms and legs tighter around him, drawing him close. He could feel the lines and contours of her body even beneath the layers of clothes between them, and all he wanted desperately was to study and map out every dip and curve of her frame.</p>
<p>They rested there in each other arms, gathering their breath and their wits about them. It was Granger who finally broke the silence. “So…” she started hesitantly. “That was…”</p>
<p>He pulled back and looked at her flushed face and swollen lips. “That was amazing,” he said giddily, his body on fire but in a good way, his blood running hot and heavy.</p>
<p>She laughed and agreed with him. They fell back into silence, neither wanting to break the magic of the moment they had just shared. They were startled out of their shared bliss as the bell rang. They went still; staring at each other before scrambling apart and both putting themselves back to rights. Draco smoothed down his hair and straightened his robes. He glanced over at her and could see the tip of the hickey he had given her peeking out the top of her robes. A flash of desire shot through him at the sight, at the mark he had left upon her, claiming her.</p>
<p>Her eyes caught his stare and her hand flew up in mortification as she realized what he was staring at. She tugged her robes up higher and tighter around her neck. “So,” she blushed furiously. “I guess we should go if we want to make our next class.”</p>
<p>He nodded quickly, forcing down his desire to simply skip class and hoist her back onto the desk, snogging her till she was limp and senseless. He shook his head, dispelling the image forming in his mind. “Yeah, we better get going.”</p>
<p>He held out a hand, gesturing her forward first. She scooped up her bag and walked by him, a faint hint of red dusting her cheeks. She reached the door and placed her hand upon the handle. Looking back, she stared at him and hungrily licked her lips. He could see the desire kindling in her eyes and knew this was going to happen again and again. Especially if there was anything he had to say about it.</p>
<p>“See you around?” He said with a smirk and a wink.</p>
<p>“Probably,” she replied with a cheeky grin before opening the door and gliding out.</p>
<p>After she had left, he took a second to compose himself even further. He grinned. That hadn’t been what he was expecting, but bloody hell that was hot and amazing. He was ruined for anybody else now. He was convinced nothing could compare to the sweetness that was Hermione Granger. He didn’t care that they were still rivals and couldn’t do anything in public or that his family or his so-called friends or his house would never accept her. He frankly didn’t care. He just knew he wanted to snog her again and again and again.</p>
<p>In the weeks to come, they found stolen moments where they could be together. They snogged a lot, which he enjoyed immensely, but they ended up talking a lot too about life and magic and their families. He didn’t know what they were and it was clear neither did she. All he knew was that being with her in those stolen moments made him feel more alive and more whole than any other time in his life. With her, he wasn’t alone.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I think I (and probably others) tend to forget that the gang is only fourteen in during the Triwizard Tournament and if I remember anything about that age is that you are still extremely awkward and feelings and relationships are weird and confusing. Like what are these feelings? Do I want to punch you in the face or kiss you senseless? Who knows, not Draco that's for sure. So I definitively tried to write it from that perspective of teenage idiots. Also, I know in Europe and I noticed multiple times throughout the series that the drinking age doesn't really seem to exist or matter so that's why I didn't tag it as underage drinking.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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